“I was really pleased with the way things went – I did all the things that the Advice Worker advised me to do and it has gone to plan – I got my Habitual Residency sorted out, my national insurance number and my benefit and then almost immediately got a job. I am now in the ROBES shelter saving to get some money together to get a room or bedsit and a second job” – German citizen returning from USA

This quote comes from the Advice and Welfare service user satisfaction questionnaire – an exercise we complete every quarter and illustrates the perfect balance between creating an environment for the client where he gets the advice and the support he or she may need to move on but without allowing a climate of client dependency to take hold. This particular young man was a German citizen but had lived almost his entire life in the USA. He came to the UK after spending 5 months in Germany where seeking employment had been difficult as even though he holds German citizenship, his language of choice is English. When he came, he had very limited funds and found that living in the one of the most expensive capitals in the world had exhausted his small amount of funds. He came to us with no funds. We were lucky enough to put him in the ROBES project and started work on getting his national insurance and right to reside in the United Kingdom sorted out. As a German citizen, if he is actively seeking work and can prove it at interview by the Department of Work and Pensions, he has the “right to reside” – a test that the British government brought in to prevent individuals coming to the UK to just access the benefit system. He did have an entitlement to benefits but almost as soon as his claim was processed, he got a job as a chef but it did not work out and he was without a roof over his head.

We placed him on a temporary basis in another shelter until a space became free in ROBES again and he came to us looking at employment opportunities. As he had a national insurance number, we linked him to various recruitment agencies and he got a job with Southwark council. It is not a substantial wage but as he can stay in ROBES whilst he is saving for the deposit or rent in advance for an inexpensive room, we know he has a safe place to stay. He is very motivated and looking for another evening job (as he is a chef) to supplement his income, so that he can afford to live more easily in London.

It is really gratifying when we can, at the very least, help someone to start off their new life as a facilitator. Like most things, it is then up to the individual to capitalise on that start and hopefully reap the rewards of their efforts.

Margaret Shapland – Advice and Welfare